george reeves' death house

A classically trained actor who already had some impressive credits to his name, including the 1939 classic Gone With the Wind, Reeves was reluctant to take on the role because in televisions early days, it was considered to be a rather undignified medium that was far inferior to film. The coroner had ruled the forty-five year old actor's death a suicide, brought about by despondency over a failing career and too much alcohol. [40], Reeves' mother thought the ruling premature and peremptory, and retained attorney Jerry Giesler to petition for a reinvestigation of the case as a possible homicide. When Officers Johnson and Korby entered the . She and Eddie had used his underworld connections to have Reeves killed. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 June 16, 1959) was an American actor. I was depressed, and I accepted instantly that he had committed suicide, Larson told Unsolved Mysteries in 1995. He was getting work as a director, and he had agreed to do another season of Superman, in which he would also direct quite a few episodes of. Three bullet holes were found in the bedroom, all caused by the Luger that was found resting between the victim's legs. Upon hearing of George's demise, he went to the house and the . It was a bullet to the head. From 1952 to 1958 he starred in 104 episodes, but by the late 50s it had declined in popularity and it was put into hiatus after its sixth season. The police ruled his death a suicide, but rumors quickly surfaced that Reeves was. Reeves head and hands showed no signs of gunshot residue or powder burns. Reeves himself was also severely under the influence, with a blood alcohol level of .27 and, because the actor had long enjoyed playing with unloaded weapons, it was thought possible he accidentally shot himself while doing so. Waymarkly is the premiere Waymarking app for iOS. Reeves was dressed in one of his characters Clark Kent suits for the funeral, which took place two weeks later, on June 30th, 1959. Reeves died at the age of 45, from a gunshot wound to the head. The police did not treat the house as a crime scene, and Lemmon was able to return shortly after they had left, have the bloody sheets washed, retrieve $4000 in travellers cheques and leave Los Angeles for New York, never to return again, not even for Reeves funeral. She also kept his shaving utensils and lotions, and even built an altar in the house with a crucifix, candles and an 11-by-14 photograph of Reeves. By mid 1959, contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new teleplay writers assigned. While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. Character: . His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. George Reeves former residence is rather small, especially by Hollywood standards. Their suspicions werent entirely fueled by grief and denialthe evidence was puzzling. While the tragedy was unfolding, his fiance and three guests were carousing downstairs, his soon-to-be wife allegedly narrating the action going on above. Director Allen Coulter Writer Paul Bernbaum Stars Adrien Brody Ben Affleck Diane Lane See production, box office & company info Watch on STARZ with Prime Video Channels More watch options Add to Watchlist Added by 25.7K users Bud Collyer had voiced the Man of Steel on the radio from 1940 to 1951, and Kirk Alyn played the role in two 15-part movie serials that ended in 1950. SUPERMAN MURDER SOLVED! The Afterlife of George Reeves Actor George Reeves died at 1:59 am on June 16, 1959. After all these years, what happened that night at 1579 Benedict Canyon remains obscure and controversial. >> George Reeves's death, and there are very interesting questions >> supporting the various theories. This includes accusations of murder directed at his fiance and ex-girlfriend. Character actor Ben Welden had acted with Reeves in the Warner Bros. days and frequently guest-starred on Superman. The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. She died alone in her apartment over New Year 1989, her body not found for four days. Lemmon stayed awake and about thirty minutes later three friends dropped by for a visit. However, it was obvious that many parts of the investigation were not performed as they should have been. There were also fresh bruises on the body. Shortly after, she began her affair with Reeves, who at 10 years her junior, she referred to as the boy. At around1 am, William Bliss and Carol Van Ronkel came by for an impromptu meeting. The first photo above looks into the living room from the backyard. After, they returned home and continued drinking. Honorary pallbearers included Alan Ladd and Gig Young. The year before Reeves death he abruptly ended his relationship with Mannix, leaving her for the younger New York socialite Leonore Lemmon. Reeves then apologized, and the group sat around talking. George Reeves' Ghost. Mother Victoria Alice Mason. Did the 45-year-old actor commit suicide (as was the official finding), was his death accidental, or was he murdered by his vengeful ex-lover or her jealous husband? They had no children and divorced 10 years later.[16]. . Another location that has long been woven into the fabric of Hollywood lore is George Reeves former Benedict Canyon bungalow, where in the early morning hours of June 16th, 1958 the Adventures of Superman star was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. Coates had become a mutual friend of both her Superman co-star and Tony Mannix. . In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in From Here to Eternity. However, friends and relatives think Reeves career troubles were exaggerated. Reportedly, the police had not been called until at least a half an hour after his death. The findings of a second autopsy, conducted at Giesler's request, were the same as the first, except for a series of bruises of unknown origin about the head and body. Whilst highly speculative, some corroboration to this comes from Reeves own Lois Lane, actress Phyllis Coates. It is located in a fairly modest area, even though the asking price in 1995 was $625,000. In the early hours of June 16, Mannix called Coates; she was hysterical and told her friend that Reeves had been murdered. Two people who might have had strong motives were Toni and Eddie Mannix. Its a plane! For instance, Lemmon and her friends pulled a Conrad Murray by failing to call the police until about thirty minutes after discovering the body, and each seemed to have a differing account of the evening due to their inebriated states. On 16 June 1959, George Reeves retired to his bed at 12, after going out for dinner with his fianc, Leonore. It was an open secret in the business that Reeves had been conducting a long term affair with Toni Mannix, the wife of notorious Hollywood fixer and MGM vice president Eddie Mannix. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles and, with his retentive memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. Reeves was born five months into their marriage (the reason Reeves's mother subsequently claimed a false April birth date for her son, something he was unaware of until . This is the house, and home, that Superman actor George Reeves lived and died in. It may have seemed like an open and shut case: Man found upstairs, gun on the floor, a single bullet wound in his head. This theory centres around the mysterious WIlliam Bliss, a stranger to both Reeves and Leonore Lemmon, whose presence in the house that night has never been adequately explained. He referred to the show that had made him famous as scraping the bottom of the barrel, and would burn the costume he called a monkey suit at the wrap of each season. Michael Hayde firmly believes that George Reeves was murdered. Reeves had been having an affair with his wife Toni Mannix. How do we create a person's profile? A photo of a smiling Reeves and the sign appears in Gary Grossman's book about the show. . But the strange death of Superman is not a parlour game. The police also appeared to be behaving in a careless manner. Following an investigation, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department ruled the death a suicide, likely prompted by Reeves' alleged depression over the fact that he was experiencing financial . According to commentaries on the Adventures of Superman DVD sets, multiple scripts were filmed simultaneously to take advantage of the standing sets; for example, all the "Perry White's office" scenes for three or four episodes would be shot the same day and the various "apartment" scenes would be done consecutively. It all seemed so simple. The official cause of death for Reeves was ruled a suicide. While the authorities officially declared Reeves' death to be a suicide, not everyone was willing to accept that conclusion. Robert Condon, a writer interested in writing a biography on George, stayed in the house. Eddies exploits in covering up the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood were legendary. Leonore Lemmon became an alcoholic, got fat, suffered from Dementia and died in 1990. George Bessolo Reeves lived in a modest house in Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles, California up until the time of his death on June 15, 1959. A long Broadway run followed, before a national tour and a movie version. In contemporary news articles, Lemmon attributed Reeves' alleged suicide to depression caused by his "failed career" and inability to find more work. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. [17] Warner changed his professional name to George Reeves. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. He performed on live television anthology programs, as well as on radio. They decided that he had not committed suicide. Whatever the case may be, no charges were ever filed and Reeves death remains one of the most talked about Hollywood scandals to this day. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. Reeves death was the first in what would come to be a string of tragedies surrounding the role, in what would come to be known as the Superman curse. Present in the house at the time of the incident were Leonore Lemmon (who had been Reeves's fiancee at the time), William Bliss, writer Richard Condon, and Carol . He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix. According to Condon, Lemmon was in an combative mood that night, and had made somewhat of a scene in the restaurant. Lemmon says George Reeves committed suicide. "Actress to Wed." Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1940. In actual fact The Adventures of Superman was due to return in 1960, with a higher pay packet for Reeves and the promise that he would be able to direct more of the episodes, something he had enjoyed doing on the last three shows of the previous season. In June 2021, an episode of the internet series BuzzFeed Unsolved discussed the death of Reeves and possible theories. He died in June of 1959, not 1958. The half-hour films were shot on tight schedules; at least two shows were made every six days. Flickr CommonsThe costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. No one is entirely certain who was even at the house that night. It is located in a fairly modest area, even though the asking price in 1995 was $625,000. If this was the case, then clearly he had not fired the gun himself, and another party was involved. Mannix was devastated by the rejection, made all the more humiliating for the fact Reeves had moved Lemmon into a house in Los Angeles she owned. Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana. One variation on this theory is that Reeves accidentally shot himself playing a game of Russian Roulette. In 1960, Reeves was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the TV industry. Seeing the neighbors, he told them, Get out. George Reeves' Former Home Another location that has long been woven into the fabric of Hollywood lore is George Reeves' former Benedict Canyon bungalow, where in the early morning hours of June 16th, 1958 the Adventures of Superman star was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. There were 104 episodes of The Adventures of Superman before the cancellation ax fell in 1958. Reeves usually had an open door policy, but not after midnight. She had talked to him days before, and, according to her, he was in a splendid state of mind. She had the body exhumed, and a second autopsy was performed. For decades friends, family and strangers alike have speculated on his mental state and whether he was the type of person to commit suicide or not, but the truth is only George Reeves himself knew what was truly going on in his mind. If the Hollywood stories are to be believed, any death involving a girl and a gun is suspicious. These roles did little to advance Reeves's career, and his contract with Warners was dissolved by mutual consent. Listen to 022 - The Suspicious Death of George Reeves . At approximately 1:20 AM, Reeves excused himself, and went upstairs to bed. Reeves new girlfriend, who had since moved in, was a New York socialite named Leonore Lemmon, with whom he was rumored to be engaged. Between the first and second seasons of Superman, Reeves got sporadic acting assignments in one-shot TV anthology programs and in two feature films, Forever Female (1953) and Fritz Lang's The Blue Gardenia (1953), but by the time the series was airing nationwide, Reeves found himself so associated with Superman and Clark Kent that it was difficult for him to find other roles. Hollywood comic, Lou Lubin, is on right. Reeves reportedly never saw his father again. George Reeves' Home. He appeared in a pair of outdoor thrillers with Ralph Byrd. Was the star of 50s TV show The Adventures of Superman murdered? According to Jim Nolts fabulous Superman-themed The Adventures Continue website, the house has remained largely unchanged since the time Reeves lived there over fifty years ago. Larson also thought the prospective return of the Adventures of Superman had filled the actor with dread, Anyone who thinks another season of Superman wouldn't depress George didn't know George, he said. Reeves death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best. Reeves mother refused to believe her son had killed himself and hired famous Hollywood lawyer Jerry Giesler to investigate further. Noel Neill was quoted as saying that the cast of Superman was ready to do a new series of the still-popular show. [17] His friend Teddi Sherman introduced him to her father, producer Harry Sherman, who asked Reeves to do a screen test with Teddi for the Hopalong Cassidy films. He was lucky to escape with head injuries that required him to take powerful painkillers right up until the night he died. George Reeves was born George Keefer Brewer in Iowa in 1914five months into his parents' marriage. On June 16, 1959, George Reeves, who was the first to make the superhero an icon when he played the titular role in the inaugural TV series, was found dead in his bedroom. More sinister still, did Eddie Mannix, a man whose job it was to make Hollywood scandals go away, pull some of his underworld strings and hire a hitman to erase the man who had so grievously upset his wife? According to Kashner and Schoenberger (A Talent for Genius), however, unanswered details about Reeves's demise shroud what in truth was foul play. But she was also suffering from alzheimer's at the time of her death, and may have confused fact with the many fictions that had long circulated about the death of her former lover. A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952). '"[29], Reeves, Noel Neill, Natividad Vaco, Gene LeBell, and a trio of musicians toured with a public-appearance show from 1957 onward. The actors were poorly paid, and even after Reeves received a raise after trying and failing to leave the show after three seasons, he found himself struggling for money, unable to get the roles he really wanted, and taxed for time given the all-consuming nature of his Superman commitments. Nevertheless, the end of his iconic role reportedly hit him hard and at 45, typecast, unemployed and overweight, he found himself reduced to appearing in commercials and celebrity boxing matches. It seems the dark secret haunted her for the rest of her life. Its not like my George to do a thing like that, his mother told the press. How he came to meet this grisly end is a story as disputed and controversial today as it was when the scandal rocked Hollywood at the height of the actor's fame. Attempting to showcase his versatility, Reeves sang on the Tony Bennett show in August 1956. He looked forward to working with So Proudly We Hail! Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. George Reeves was depressed and whilst entertaining guests at his home he he inexplicably left the room, placed a pistol to his right temple and pulled the trigger. At around 2am that morning, two police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, the house Reeves had been living at with his new fiance Leonore Lemmon during the previous few months. Copyright (c) 2023 Groundspeak, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [17] Reeves appeared in five Hopalong Cassidy westerns before being cast as Lieutenant John Summers opposite Claudette Colbert in So Proudly We Hail! George was dressed in a gray Clark Kent Suit from the tv show and his body was taken to Gates/Kingsley/Gates on Sepulveda. While Reeves was depressed at the time of his death, there were oddities at the crime scene. The Los Angeles county coroner said its was a suicide, but family & friends say it was a love triangle murder. Kent then rushed offstage to return as Superman, who came to the rescue and fought with the bad guy. The people in the house were quite intoxicated and weren't much help to the investigation even waiting over 30 minutes before calling the police. According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. That position was taken over by Frank . She had prepared the meal for Reeves and guest Robert Condon, a writer who was there to do an article on Reeves and his upcoming bout with Archie Moore. The argument had carried over back to the house, Lemmon apparently upset by the suspicion that Reeves had been talking to previous girlfriend Toni Mannix. George Reeves, whose work as TV's Man of Steel would set the Superman screen standard for decades, died in his Benedict Canyon home from a gunshot to the head. In their book Hollywood Kryptonite, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger make a case for the involvement of MGM vice president and fixer Eddie Mannix. Was the coroner's verdict right after all? No photos of the body were taken and the crime scene was not properly searched or dusted for prints. Dubious witness statements and the examination of the crime scene by the Los Angeles Police led to the official inquiry conclusion that the death of Reeves's was suicide. See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Lemmon claimed. Henderson, Jan Alan, Speeding Bullet, M. Bifulco, 1999; Helen Roberta Lescher Brewer Bessolo (18921964) - Born in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, US. On June 16, 1959, actress Phyllis Coates was woken up around 4:30 a.m. by a very strange phone call. George Reeves as Superman CASE DETAILS The gun had no fingerprints on it Early one morning in June of 1959, Los Angeles police raced to a high priced Hollywood Hills home. They got home around 11 p.m. A couple hours later, Carol Van Ronkel and William Bliss stopped by for a drink. The following is taken from the official autopsy report: Exactly what happened that night was never fully resolved, due to varying drunken accounts. gruesome and unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. He was found dead in his bedroom at 1:59 a.m. on June 16, 1959 in his modest home in Los Angeles' Benedict Canyon. In 1983, the publicist sat by her bedside during her last hours, and knowing she was the last person on earth to know the truth, confessed all to her priest. Hollywood was recovering from the war, but slowly, and Reeves wasnt the only actor trying to make up for lost time with renewed dedication to dreams that were still very much alive but suddenly even further out of reach. Mobster Mickey Cohen once described Toni Mannix as the only person in Hollywood who had any balls. In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959, George Reeves, who was the first to make the superhero an icon when he played the titular role in the inaugural TV series, was found dead in his bedroom, naked with a bullet through his head. Contraversy continues. [17] He avoided smoking cigarettes where children could see him and eventually quit smoking. Jim Beaver is just as convinced that George's death was a suicide, as was reported in the newspapers of the day. He was cremated in Ohio, and ashes given to his mother, who then died in 1964. When George Reeves died in 1959, the death was quickly considered to be one that was self-inflicted. A noise echoed: See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Then a shot: I told you, hes shot himself.. Whilst its true the actor had a habit of playing dangerous games with his gun, naked in bed at 1am does not seem a very likely time for macabre party tricks. . But this had no official status and could not overrule the coroner's verdict of suicide. He had recently been involved in a serious affair with a married woman, Toni Mannix, before dumping her for his high-society fiancee, leaving Mannix devastated. And then there were the bruising and other marks on Reevess body. It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane, both in brightly dyed red hair as "the Tarleton Twins," were in the film's opening scenes. It is sometimes easy to get caught up in the mystery of George Reeves demise, the different theories and suspects. Reeves returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious. [31] However, Reeves and his partner failed to find financing, and the film was never made. Location: California, United States Date Posted: 1/12/2010 6:55:33 PM At around 1.20am, a bad tempered Reeves had admonished the trio for their noise, before returning upstairs. [28] He appeared as Superman on I Love Lucy (Episode #165, "Lucy and Superman") in 1957. He Grew Up Thinking He Was Italian. Coates was amongst many of Reeves friends and co-stars who did not believe he would have killed himself. In the early morning of June 16, 1959, George was found dead . The sinister true story behind the death of George Reeves By Gaby Wood 13 March 2016 12:18pm Reeves, star of the Fifties TV show The Adventures of Superman, was shot in 1959. All too often it is those closest to someone who takes their own life who can least understand it. As more and more time passed between acting jobs paying less and less, Reeves was reduced to appearing in a low-budget serial produced by Sam Katzman, The Adventures of Sir Galahad, and taking a second job digging cesspools. director Mark Sandrich. He won critical acclaim for the role and garnered considerable publicity. His passing even became the subject of the 2006 biographical docudrama Hollywoodland, in which Ben Affleck plays the Pasadena-bred television star. That night she received a disturbing phone call. Next, read about the gruesome and unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but was it? Giesler had been paid a hefty sum, so why did he suddenly drop the case? On the night of June 15th, 1959, Reeves and Lemmon went out to dinner and the two reportedly drank a great deal. After all, it was she who had made the early morning phone call to Coates, before anyone outside of Reeves home could have known about his death.

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